HISTORY OF HEEEFORD ClATTLE 



281 



forgotten, at least it was out of my mind. 

 You will recognize, Mr. Editor, from your 

 present standpoint, tliat it was something more 

 than blowing. What must have seemed such 

 at that time sounds very much, as we read it 

 now, as though the Hereford enthusiast of 

 1878 had a truer conception of the future than 

 others were willing to credit him with, and I 

 am rather surprised that Mr. Matthews should 

 bring this prophecy to light, for it has literally 

 been fulfilled. 



I will not undertake to burden your columns 

 with following Mr. Matthews through all his 

 figures to prove that the Herefords are good for 

 nothing. It is suificient that showing against 

 the Shorthorn cattle with Shorthorn judges, 

 they have won a position within less than ten 

 years that the people of the mountains, the 

 plains, Australia and England recognize. The 

 press quote their popularity in Australia. 

 "Bells' Weekly Messenger," of London, rec- 

 ognizes their importance, and gives a special 

 place to reporting their progress. You are 

 obliged to say, that from a very general in- 

 quiry, the cattle men of the plains prefer the 

 Herefords, and I can assure you that this 

 preference has come back with a force and 

 volume that is satisfactory; and to you, who 

 know the influences that have had to be met, 

 it must be somewhat of a surprise that the 

 Herefords have met this success. 



I will notice Mr. Matthews in his quotations 

 of my advice to Shorthorn breeders of Ken- 

 tucky. He says : "Mr. Miller advises the Ken- 

 tuckians to cross their Shorthorns with the 

 Herefords, saying they will make more money. 

 He must have forgotten that the Kentuckians 

 tried the Herefords over sixty years, and seem 

 to want no more of them." 



Does Mr. Matthews know that the best cattle 

 of Kentucky to-day are descendants of those 

 Herefords of sixty years ago? And that to- 

 day, according to Kentucky Anderson, the 

 mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee are full 

 of these in-and-in bred white faces, that the 

 Shorthorns, after sixty years, cannot breed out? 



Mr. Matthews follows my advertisement, where 

 I quote mv premiums taken in November last at 

 the Fat Stock Show. If the Hereford, by 

 crossing on other cattle, whether Shorthorns 

 or natives, makes a better steer or better bul- 

 lock, then, are they a better beef breed? The 

 thoroughbred is not now, and never will be 

 used for the butcher's block. They are of 

 value as they are .capable of improving the 

 Shorthorns and common or native cattle of 

 the country, and this, the Hereford will al- 

 ways do, and, so far as I am concerned, it will 

 be my aim to show this; and this I well un- 



derstood when I advised the Shorthorn breed- 

 ers to put the Hereford bull on their tlrorough- 

 bred Shorthorn cows, and I wish the Shorthorn, 

 breeders to give us the credit of doing it. They 

 have had the country for sixty years, and if 

 we can take the produce of their bulls and 

 make better bullocks let them recognize the 

 fact, and instead of still forcing their breed 

 upon the stockmen of the country accept the 

 issue and verdict. 



Mr. Matthews then quotes the "Mark Lane 

 Express." I recognize this journal as one of 

 the fairest and ablest published in England or 

 America — in fact, I consider it stands nearly 

 alone in its impartial statement of facts. At 

 the same time I may differ with them on their 

 facts. They claim that the Shorthorn as a 

 combined meat and milk producing machine, 

 has no equal and no superiors. Now, while I 

 have great respect for the expressed convic- 

 tions of the "Mark Lane Express," I consider 

 their claim of superiority as a combined ma- 

 chine, while second rate as beef and second 

 rate as milk, is not tenable. It can onlv be so 

 from the fact that they have some other Short- 

 horn than what we know in this country; and 

 even then I cannot see how two second-class 

 things can make a first class, and the time 

 will come when they will abandon this posi- 

 tion. 



The old Yorkshire cow is a good milker, and 

 if taken out of the dairy at an early age — say 

 at six or seven years old — she will go into beef 

 at a reasonable cost, and have performed good 

 service as a milker. This I can readily be- 

 lieve, but then the old Yorkshire cow is a very 

 different beast from the Shorthorn, crossed up, 

 and bred in-and-in with Duke bulls. But even 

 this cow, if kept in the dairy until ten years 

 old, would be fed at a loss with very rare ex- 

 ceptions. I have put questions to the "Mark 

 Lane Express" touching the merits of cattle 

 and I am under many obligations to them for 

 the eourtes}', and, I may say, patience, with 

 which they have met my queries. When 

 younger than now one of the things I gave 

 myself a good deal of trouble about, was to" get 

 a carriage that would make me a convenient 

 combined machine for business and family use. 

 I never succeeded. I could get along' with 

 the thing when I had one child — even when I 

 had two I could manage — but beyond that I 

 could not combine. The farmer wants an ani- 

 mal that will produce beef and milk at the 

 least cost and at the greatest value. I don't 

 expect the "Mark Lane Express" to say any- 

 thing against its convictions, or a Shorthorn 

 breeder to say anything against his interest. 

 Very truly yours, " T. L. Miller. 



